Lessons from DAO-Led Growth Programs — Informing the VGC Proposal
In light of the Velora Growth Framework (VGF) and Velora Growth Committee (VGC) proposal, I reviewed similar growth and marketing initiatives from other DAOs to better understand what has worked — and what hasn’t. Below is a concise comparison of achievements and challenges, which may help shape expectations and structure for the VGC.
Comparative Summary — DAO Growth Programs
Compound – Growth Program (AlphaGrowth)
Achievements:
- Developed business development (BD) pipeline and integrations
- Co-marketing efforts raised awareness
- Received strong community support
- Program extended after initial success
Challenges:
- Difficult to attribute protocol growth directly to program
- Misalignment with Compound Foundation and internal priorities
- Short-term funding cycles limited continuity
Threshold Network – Marketing Guild
Achievements:
- Ran educational and community campaigns
- Contributed to protocol visibility
- Helped maintain community momentum during transitions
Challenges:
- Limited contributor bandwidth
- Role confusion between execution and oversight
- Required restructuring due to inefficiency
Threshold Network – Integrations Guild
Achievements:
- Facilitated integrations (e.g., Gitcoin, Dappnode)
- Managed bug bounties and onboarding support
- Supported technical infrastructure (e.g., subgraphs)
Challenges:
- Difficulty scaling contributor team
- Lack of consistent performance metrics
- Frequent governance overhead and re-orgs
MakerDAO – Growth Core Unit (GRO-001)
Achievements:
- Helped onboard Real World Asset (RWA) partners
- Ran regional expansion efforts (e.g., LatAm, Asia)
- Supported global business development and partnerships
Challenges:
- High operational cost and overhead
- Coordination issues between Core Units
- Complex internal structure slowed down initiatives
Uniswap – Growth Program (RFC stage)
Achievements:
- No measurable outcomes yet (still in planning/RFC phase)
Challenges:
- Still unimplemented
- No execution or results to evaluate yet
What Worked Across DAOs
- Dedicated BD and integrations teams with clear pipelines
- Localized marketing and regional expansion efforts
- Early community engagement and structured governance
- Trial periods with extensions based on feedback
What Didn’t Work (Common Pitfalls
Difficulty attributing growth to DAO-led efforts- Misalignment with core contributors (foundation/labs)
- Lack of performance metrics and outcome tracking
- Role confusion: oversight vs execution
- Heavy governance load (elections, restructures, short mandates)
Recommendations for Velora
If the VGC is to succeed where others struggled, I suggest we:
- Ensure deep collaboration with Laita Labs/Foundation from day one.
- Separate execution (operators) from oversight (committee).
- Establish clear KPIs and reporting standards tied to protocol goals.
- Use multi-month mandates with optional extensions to reduce churn.
- Focus on complementing, not duplicating, core team efforts.
Final Thoughts
I’ve tried to analyze the outcomes of the referenced DAO growth programs with the help of AI, and I’ve shared the results above. As I mentioned in my initial comments, I remain cautious — we haven’t seen many examples of such programs clearly driving protocol growth, especially with well-documented KPI impact. (I would appreciate it if any clear KPI data could be shared.)
That said, this doesn’t mean success isn’t possible — quite the opposite. I’m supportive of the VGC and its proposed efforts. Why?
- We can learn from past programs to achieve better results that directly impact protocol growth and revenue.
- Some committee members now bring stronger qualifications and more experience.
- Paraswap/VeloraDEX’s marketing needs are still underserved, making the case for VGC more evident.
- The budgeting is fair, and the DAO retains the flexibility to adjust or discontinue funding if the efforts don’t prove beneficial.
- There is clear alignment between the Paraswap/VeloraDEX community, core team, and delegators — all are willing to collaborate toward making this a successful initiative.